A clean kitchen and dining room protect your customers, your staff and your inspection results. Janitorial supplies are also one of the easiest categories to run short on, because every shift uses them. This guide lays out what a typical restaurant or café should keep in stock and how to order without overbuying.
1. Cleaning and sanitizing chemicals
- Degreasers: For hoods, grills, fryer areas and floors where grease builds up.
- Sanitizers and disinfectants: For food-contact surfaces, prep tables and cutting boards. Always read the label for the correct concentration, contact time and whether the product is intended for food-contact surfaces.
- Floor and glass cleaners: For front-of-house areas and entrances.
- Dish machine detergent, rinse aid and sink soap: Match these to your dish machine and follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Browse cleaning chemicals and warewashing and laundry supplies. Store chemicals according to their labels and safety data sheets, and never mix different products.
2. Cleaning tools
Mops, buckets, brooms, dust pans, scrub brushes, sponges and microfibre cloths wear out quickly in a busy kitchen. Many operators colour-code cloths and tools for different areas to reduce cross-contamination. See cleaning tools and supplies.
3. Disposables for cleaning
Trash can liners, gloves, wipes, paper towels and toilet tissue are the items you reorder most often. Buying them by the case lowers your cost per unit and keeps you from emergency store runs. Choose liner sizes that fit your bins, since a liner that is too small tears and one that is too large wastes money. Browse janitorial disposables and restroom supplies.
4. Waste and recycling
Separate bins for garbage, recycling and, where available, organics make sorting easier for staff and customers. Check your municipality's rules for what goes in each stream. See trash cans and recycling bins.
5. A simple reorder system
- Keep a written par level for each item, meaning the minimum quantity you want on the shelf.
- Check stock at the same time each week and reorder anything at or below par.
- Label shelves so staff can see what is low at a glance.
- Order by the case for items you use every week and in smaller quantities for items you use rarely.
6. Safety and training
Train staff on the safe use of each chemical, keep safety data sheets accessible and provide the gloves and eye protection the labels call for. Industrial safety items are available in our industrial safety products collection.
Shop janitorial supplies
Browse the full janitorial collection. For ordering and delivery questions, see the wholesale ordering FAQ or contact us.